1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for locking a chain-operated valve to prevent unauthorized and inadvertent operation of the valve, and more particularly, to a system for locking out and tagging out a valve.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known to operate a valve with an operating chain to open and or close the valve. An example of a typical chain operated valve is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,095,295 to Stevens. However, no means for preventing an operator from inadvertently opening or closing the valve by pulling the chain is provided.
Moreover, with conventional lockout systems, the locking means is positioned on or adjacent the valve. See U.S. Pat. No. 1,636,427 to Morrison, which does not enable remote access to the locking means if the valve is located in a hard to reach area, i.e., an overhead space.
Although it is known to enable a remotely located valve to be operated from a distanced location, such as the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,025,011, no means for locking the valve at the operating site is disclosed.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the limitations of the prior art systems by providing a valve locking system which can be used with valves that are not easily accessible, and therefore must be operated by pulling a chain to open or close the valve.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a locking system which enables an operating chain to be removably and securely fastened and at the same time preventing an operator from accessing any useable portion of the operating chain.
Still another object of the present invention is to permit a simple tag-out process to be used for the locked valves.
In accomplishing these and other objectives of the invention, there is provided a system for locking a chain-operated valve for preventing unauthorized and inadvertent operation of the valve. An operating chain having opposed ends is attached to the valve. An elongated tube having a first end receives both ends of the operating chain. A locking arrangement is positioned at a second end of the elongated tube to lock the operating chain to the second end of the tube and prevent operation of the valve.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparant from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.